Forgiven Phoenix
by MySongEchoesInTheAbyss
Summary: What if Natsu was there when the guild disbanded? What if, on his training journey, the Etherious were revived? What if he created a guild for those who deserved a second chance? Forgiven Phoenix will rise from the ashes! Spoilers for chapters 416 and 436. T cause I'm paranoid about battles. Hope you enjoy! I don't own Fairy Tail.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! It's okay to have multiple stories in production at once, right? I have too many ideas, it's just the problem of writing it properly. I've thought of writing this for a while now. It messes with the timeline a bit, there's a lot of time skips in this chapter, and Natsu is a bit OOC, but it's my fanfic so yeah. Spoilers for chapters 416 and 436. Hope you enjoy!**

Fairy Tail. It was a guild that had survived so much. And yet, the guild was now gone. They weren't defeated in battle. They had actually just come out victorious against a dark guild, the darkest guild of the Baram Alliance, Tartaros. They were preparing to celebrate together.

"We totally owned those demons!" Natsu cheered.

"They sure did a number on our guild hall though." Erza observed.

"Listen up everyone! I have some news for you all." Makarov climbed to the highest place he could on the pile of rubble that was the Fairy Tail guild hall. "Fairy Tail will disband. No complaints, anyone. This is my final decision."

No one could speak. They didn't understand. But Master's decision was final. They all drifted for a while walking around the town in a daze, each blaming themselves.

Millions of thoughts ran through the fire dragon slayer's mind. _I'm weak. I couldn't do anything. That's why Fairy Tail isn't here anymore. So… I'm going to train harder than ever!_

Natsu ran out of the town, completely alone. He didn't even bring Happy. He ran until he collapsed. Natsu swore that he would become stronger, the strongest wizard alive.

* * *

Time skip-1 month later

"Natsu…"

"What do you want, Zeref?"

"Natsu… You deserve the truth."

"What?"

A flash of light appears as the book of E.N.D. is opened.

* * *

Time skip-1 more month

 _What is this pressure? It's almost like an explosion of Ethernano._ Natsu thought to himself, _Ethernano, Etherion, Etherious… Wait, Etherious?_

Natsu stared into the valley where he had traced the magic to. There he saw enemies he had hoped to never see again. _But maybe… they can change their ways._

* * *

Time skip-Another month **(A/N So many time skips…)**

"Crime Sorciere… Join us! We're also an independent guild of former criminals. Our goal is the same. We'll get better results working together! Join us, Forgiven Phoenix!"

Jellal and Meredy were excited and joined in quickly. But Jellal had a question.

"Natsu, why are you in an independant guild for _criminals_?"

Natsu shrugged, "I figured they deserved a second chance. They're all fine now."

* * *

Another %&!*ing Time skip! 1 more %#*ing month!

Natsu shouted out to his guild mates, "Everyone! The magic council Era has given everyone here a pardon! What's more, our guild has been approved as a legal guild, and will be sending us any others who have fallen down the path of darkness! Now, everyone, we have the trust of the council now, so don't screw it up! Remember, no killing, no torture, as little destruction as possible, and no taking over the world! Celebration time for now! To Forgiven Phoenix!"

"FORGIVEN PHOENIX!" Came the cry from his guild members.

Natsu walked through his guild hall. He had founded Forgiven Phoenix as a way for criminals to redeem themselves. His small independant guild had grown from a ridiculous idea in his head to a legal guild with members from pretty much every dark guild. This included members of the Oracion Seis, Grimoire Heart, and Tartaros. There were still other dark guilds, but Natsu hoped to bring them to the right side. Forgiven Phoenix's ultimate goal was to turn Zeref good. Natsu loved his guild, sure he missed Fairy Tail, but Forgiven Phoenix was here now, and was his home and family.

* * *

Guess what? Another time skip! 4 months this time!

Gray was getting tired of playing the villain. He had infiltrated Avatar for information on E.N.D., but they had nothing. He sat in their base of operations, depressed. He refused to call it a guild hall because Avatar was a dark guild. Then a rumbling could be heard. The roof exploded. Someone yelled. "Jackal! Master said little to no destruction!"

"Calm down, I didn't destroy any of the town! Just the guild hall, which was going to be demolished by the council any way! You're such a goody-two shoes, Saylah."

Gray was horrified. Two members of Tartaros were there. Gray was sure they had all been killed. What's more, they were attacking a dark guild. A guild that worshipped Zeref. Were they looking for information? Battles were breaking out, and soon Gray was the only Avatar member left standing. Gray surrendered, asking them to let him live. But he noticed something. The members of Avatar were still alive. Then the Rune Knights arrived, and the Avatar members were arrested. Jackal and Saylah gave the Rune Knights salutes as they passed, and the knights thanked them. As Gray was put in handcuffs, he noticed that Jackal's shirt had ripped in battle. On Jackal's chest, Gray saw not Tartaros' guild mark, but a symbol resembling a phoenix. Gray wondered what guild he was in now. The Rune Knights led Gray away.

* * *

The next day (or, another #$!ing time skip!)

Avatar was at trial. Gray looked around the room. He expected a long time in prison, life probably. He tried to argue that he was infiltrating Avatar, but the council didn't believe him. The judge slammed his gavel down, "We will contact Forgiven Phoenix and you will most likely stay with them for as long as they see necessary. You will spend tonight in the jail until Phoenix's master arrives and brings you to his guild."

Gray wasn't expecting that. They were going to be placed under the care of a guild? He was still questioning that until he fell asleep in a cold cell that night.

* * *

The next morning

"Why on _Earthland_ were you caught as a part of a dark guild?" A vaguely familiar voice woke Gray. He blinked as the figure walked away from him. It was too dark to see who it was. "I'm going to have to testify for you now, _baka_."

In court again, the judge gave the final sentence. "All Avatar members excluding Gray Fullbuster will be under the care of Forgiven Phoenix. Gray Fullbuster has earned his freedom through the defense given by Forgiven Phoenix's master. That is all." Gray was in shock as his handcuffs were undone. Who was the master of Forgiven Phoenix, and why had he defended Gray? The rest of Avatar boarded a train with some Rune Knights. Gray got on the same train. They got off at Oshibana Station. Gray watched the Avatar members enter a castle with the words Forgiven Phoenix on it. There was also a picture of a phoenix which Gray assumed was the guild mark. He remembered Jackal had the same symbol on his chest. _So that's where he is now…_ Gray pulled out a small bag of jewels. Not much, but enough for lunch. Gray sighed. He needed a job. He went to a place to eat. After he had finished his lunch, he noticed a figure walk out of a grocery store across the road with what seemed like enough food for a hundred people. The man didn't have anyone with him, and it must have been impossible to see from behind all those bags. Gray walked over and picked up half of the man's bags.

"Thanks, Gray." A familiar toothy grin smiled at him over the bags.

"Natsu?!" Gray hadn't seen the slayer in about 10 months.

"Thanks for the help. My guildmates are too lazy to go shopping."

"You're… in another guild now?"

"Yeah. I needed work."

"Oh. Of course."

"By the way, good going. You should have asked the council for permission before infiltration. Instead, you end up caught as a criminal."

"How did you know about that?"

"I had to testify for you."

"Wait. The one who testified for me was… Forgiven Phoenix's master. Don't tell me you're…"

The trademark smile was back. "Yup! Our guild is actually comprised of former criminals. The council trusts me with them. Most of 'em are good now, some still need a bit more practice. Oh! You wanna join us for a bit? We're welcoming our new members."

"I guess. I kinda need to find work though, so maybe just to say hello."

"Alright."

By then they had reached the guild hall. "You know what… I just realized those Avatar people are going to be really mad at me for tricking them. I better not." Gray handed the groceries back to Natsu. "Okay then! See you soon, ice princess!"

Gray smiled at the old nickname. "You too, flame-brain!" Gray waved and headed for the train station.

 **Chapter E.N.D.! Puns… Hope you enjoyed! See you next chapter!**


	2. Let the Games Begin!

**A new chapter already! I'm getting really excited about this story! I personally think this is better than my other stories. Thank you to everyone who followed/favorited/reviewed! If you have any questions you can ask in your reviews or PM me. I have a question for you. Do you want a pairing in this story? I absolutely will** _ **not**_ **write Nalu, but I'm open to other pairings. Romance won't be a major thing. Anyway, onto the story!**

Gray got off the train. He had no idea why he had stopped in Magnolia, as there was no guild there, but he had a rush of nostalgia as he walked through the familiar streets. Without meaning to, he walked toward the ruins of the guild hall. There he was greeted by a blonde celestial mage. **(No, not Gralu. I despise that with all my heart.)**

"Gray! You're here! We've been looking but no one could figure out where you were!"

"Really? I thought I would have been all over the news."

"Don't go getting a big head now." A scarlet haired mage came in. "You're not that newsworthy."

Gray shook his head. "No, I mean, I got arrested. How was that not on the news? The council likes to brag."

"The only recent arrests were a dark guild called Avatar. And the council can't brag as much, because it's a guild doing all the catching." Lucy remembered the news articles she had read. She had free access to them as an underwear model.

"There's a guild catching dark guilds?" Wendy asked.

Levy nodded. "Yup!"

"What is this guild? It's seems interesting. It would be nice to meet them. Do you think they'll be in the Grand Magic Games?" Erza questioned.

"The guild is called Forgiven Phoenix. As for the Games, I have no idea." Levy responded.

"Either way, Levy has done the paperwork. We're an official guild again! Let's start training for the games!" Lucy cheered.

"Aye sir!" Happy responded.

"We need to choose teams. I think we should have the same teams as last year." Erza said.

"We need a new reserve for team B, and Erza can't participate because she's the master, but that should be fine." Carla pondered.

"We need to replace Natsu-san also." Wendy pointed out.

"Hey, you're right. Where is the Salamander?" Gajeel looked around. "Happy, do you know? He's normally with you."

Happy suddenly looked the opposite of his name. "No. I haven't seen him since the guild disbanded. He just disappeared that day."

Gray spoke up. "I saw him earlier today. But sorry, I don't think he'll be coming back to Fairy Tail anytime soon."

Everyone stared at him. Erza picked him up by his shirt, which somehow was still on. "What do you mean, he won't come back? He loved this guild more than anything, he was the most upset when it disbanded. So why wouldn't he come back?"

Gray gulped. Being in Titania's death grip was terrifying. "H-he's in another guild now! And his guild members are counting on him, and I can tell he cares for them!"

Erza dropped him. "He'll come back. Fairy Tail is his family. I'm sure of it." She gave him a death glare only the Queen of the Fairies could give.

"Even if he wants to, a guild master can't just leave their guild with no warning! And the rest of his guild will destroy the world without him! Let's just go to the games! We won it without that fire-eater last year."

The requip mage's eyes widened. Then she calmed. "I'm trusting you now Gray, but if any of that is false, there will be consequences."

A shiver went down Gray's spine. Erza looked lost in thought. Natsu a guild master? _Worry about that later. We have better things to do._ The Fairies raised their flag and began training to get their title back. (Again. Deja vu anyone?)

Forgiven Phoenix

Natsu climbed to the balcony to give his usual inspirational speech. "Alright everyone! Our first Grand Magic Games are in two months! We're going to train as hard as we can! We'll be the number one guild in Fiore! So let's go! FORGIVEN PHOENIX!"

"FORGIVEN PHOENIX!"

"Intense training starts now!"

Hey. Guess what? Another time-skip for two months! Yay, Star! You put too many time skips…

Forgiven Phoenix

"Remember the rules everyone! This is just a _game._ That means no killing, and no torture. Now, let's be the best guild in Fiore!"

Fairy Tail

"Fairy Tail will always pull through! Show them all the fruits of our training! Let's be the best guild in Fiore!"

"All competing teams must be in their inns at 12:00 sharp! Or you don't get to participate!" An unidentifiable voice spoke through the capital.

The mages were prepared. As the clock struck twelve, the inns were raised up and transformed. Each inn looked like a mini arena. There was a monster in each. "The first 8 teams to beat their monster will move on, kabo! Begin!"

Gray assessed the monster. It was big, and strong, but it was clumsy and slow. It didn't take too long to defeat it, and when they did the inn floated to the Domus Flau. "Congratulations, kabo! Third place!"

"Third place? Who's first and second then?"

"You'll find out!"

"Alright everyone! I'm Chapati Lola, your announcer! I have with me Yajima, former council member. We're announcing the 8 guilds that made it!"

Cheers rang out through the stadium.

"In eighth place, Mermaid Heel! Kagura Mikazuchi! Millianna! Risley Law! Araña Webb! Beth Vanderwood!"

"In seventh place, Blue Pegasus! Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki! Hibiki Lates! Eve Tearm! Ren Akatsuki! Jenny Realight!"

"In sixth place, Lamia Scale! Jura Neekis! Lyon Vastia! Yuka Suzuki! Toby Horhorta! Chelia Blendy!"

"In fifth place, Fairy Tail Team B! Mirajane Strauss! Laxus Dreyar! Juvia Loxar! Cana Alberona! Gajeel Redfox!"

All of a sudden, yelling was heard. "Master!" "Master, please don't leave us!" "Please, Master we need you!"

"Calm down! I'm not leaving. I'll never leave you guys."

"Thank you Master!" "We'll always have our Master!"

"Now calm down, you're making a scene."

Erza glanced at the guild box next to theirs. People were climbing on one man, but Erza was too far to make out faces. She wondered why they thought their master would leave them.

"Well, kabo, that was quite an interesting interruption, but we'll get back to the teams now."

" _Gomen_! Continue!" The man who everyone was climbing on waved on the announcers.

"In fourth place, Sabertooth! Rogue Cheney! Orga Nanagear! Minerva Orlando! Yukino Aguria! Rufus Lore!"

"In third place, Fairy Tail Team A! Gray Fullbuster! Lucy Heartfilia! Wendy Marvell! Elfman Strauss! Lisanna Strauss!"

"I'm curious as to why Fairy Tail didn't play Erza Scarlet. She is quite a powerful mage." Yajima wondered aloud.

"Erza Scarlet is Fairy Tail's current master. Guild masters are not allowed to participate."

"Oh. Anyway, we have the strongest guilds from last year. Who's left?"

"In second place, we have a first time guild. They became a guild about eight months ago. Forgiven Phoenix Team B! Erigor! Doriate! Flare Corona! Vidaldus Taka! Jellal Fernandes!"

Fairy Tail stared at the competitors in horror. How could these criminals be allowed to participate?

"And in first place, Forgiven Phoenix Team A! Saylah! Jackal! Meredy! Erik, better known as Cobra! Sorano Aguria, better known as Angel!"

"Come on guys! So the Phoenix may rise again!" A voice cheered from the guild box next to Fairy Tail's. Erza stared. The one cheering was… Natsu.

"I suppose everyone wants an explanation. Forgiven Phoenix is a guild of former mage criminals. It is a place for people to atone for their sins by finding others and bringing them to the right side of the law." Chapati said.

"It's also a place for the council to dump their problems." Yajima added under his breath.

"So all of these members are pardoned by the council, and are completely safe. Oddly enough, the guild of former criminals was founded by none other than Natsu Dragneel, who has actually defeated most of the members when they were still in dark guilds."

Many people stared at the Phoenix guild box. They saw Natsu's smiling face, looking perfectly happy among people who had once tried to kill him.

Chapati cleared his throat. "Now that that's out of the way, we'll show the schedule for this year's games."

The lacrima vision activated and the agenda popped up.

Day 1: ? and Battle

Day 2: ? and Battle

Day 3: ? and Battle

Day 4: ? and Tag Team Battle

"Now, LET THE GAMES BEGIN!"

 **Author's Note: Chapter end! Hope you enjoyed! I love writing this story! If you have anything you want to see, PM me or review! By the way, this daily uploads probably won't be a thing. Remember the pairing! Thanks for reading!**


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